Will Obama's gaffe hurt him?

[President von Cat]

"The private sector is doing fine" has immediately become Republican cannon fodder.

Lets leave Mitt's gaffes aside for now and assess this one. To me, I see this one hurting, because it plays into the perception that Obama is out of touch on the economy. It also forces him to spend hours backtracking, and in a way has kind of allowed Romney to set the agenda.

[netzero19]

Maybe. Might turn into another "the fundamentals of the economy are strong" meme.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

I think it just reinforces what the narrative of the election will be. To the right, it's a gaffe. But to the left, I wouldn't say it's an abomination of a statement. Obama believes government can play a bigger role in making people's lives better, and Romney believes the private sector can.

This statement just plays into the lines that have already been drawn in the sand. Agree though that it helps Romney set the agenda for a little bit.