RNC's Own Site Spotlights Anti-Romney Tweets

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Are you better off now than four years ago? It’s the question pollsters and pundits are asking voters as the Democratic Party launches its convention today in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Republican National Committee aims to steal some of the DNC's thunder on Twitter by asking the same via today's #AreYouBetterOff Promoted Trend. But the effort has its risks, and the RNC's own anti-Obama website is exposing them.

Meanwhile, as President Obama struggles to compete with GOP hopeful Mitt Romney in the fundraising department, his reelection campaign is running an eye-catching homepage buy on CharlotteObserver.com today.

The RNC Promo Trend purchase is part of what appears to be a broader strategy from the Republicans. The Romney campaign itself bought the ad unit - known to be priced around $120,000 per day - on August 30, the day Romney gave his nomination acceptance speech in Tampa, Florida.

Republicans are using the Trend to propel tweets that employ a slogan launched months ago by the Romney camp: "Obama Isn't Working." In doing so, they hope to drive home a message they've relied on to convince voters that the President does not deserve another four years because they claim his administration's approach has failed to help Americans find jobs lost during the recession.

Americans across the country are talking about how #ObamaIsntWorking. Join the conversation: obamaisntworking.com #AreYouBetterOff

— RNC (@GOP) September 4, 2012

Some of the RNC's tweets link to the ObamaIsntWorking.com site, which has a Charlotte-specific message: "Barack Obama is coming to Charlotte seeking a second term in the White House. But if you feel like you have 'heard it before' it's because you have." The landing page features a new ad launched yesterday by the RNC entitled "We've Heard It All Before" that highlights strong similarities in Obama's own rhetoric from his 2008 campaign with his speeches from this election.

The RNC is taking some risks with the Promoted Trend buy and its decision to automatically feature tweets using the #AreYouBetterOff and #ObamaIsntWorking tags on ObamaIsntWorking.com. As with the Promo Trend buy last Thursday, several tweets prompted by today's Twitter ad actually mock Romney and the GOP.

The #AreYouBetterOff tag is generating lots of anti-Romney tweets, including some that are showing up on the RNC's own ObamaIsntWorking site. Stay tuned to the site to see whether the RNC continues highlighting tweets that make its own presidential candidate look bad.

The President's campaign has its challenges, of course. While it is bound to dominate the media with pro-Obama messaging during this week's Democratic National Convention, it has struggled to match the Romney-RNC fundraising machine. That could be why the Obama camp is running large ads framing the homepage of the Charlotte Observer site today, which will be frequented by Democrats in town for their Party's convention, an obvious target for a fundraising plea. The ads link to a donation page and can be seen outside Charlotte and North Carolina, and may be viewable to all visiting the site.

Daily reminder that unemployment has been above 8% for a record 42 straight months. #AreYouBetterOff #ObamaIsntWorking

— RNC (@GOP) September 4, 2012