By Gary Hermann

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The Republican Party is officially drowning in its own delusions.

Following the Republican Convention and the release of a video of Mitt Romney speaking disparagingly about 47 percent of Americans that was released last Monday, Sept. 17, the polls indicate President Barack Obama is pulling ahead.

Even though President Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic Convention was a turning point for Democrats, it has not helped Obama as much as Romney has.

Romney was videotaped this week telling a group of his elitist cronies:

“There are 47% who are with him, who are dependent on government, who believe that, that they are victims, who believe that government has the responsibility to care for them. Who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing.”

Romney is completely out of touch with reality.

He has already proclaimed, “Corporations are people, my friend,” that he is “not concerned about the very poor,” and told a crowd in the struggling city of Detroit that his wife “drives a couple of Cadillacs.”

I’m sure he was taken out of context in each of these instances because that appears to be the argument his public-relations team uses whenever he comes off as elitist, which apparently happens quite frequently.

A man so out of touch with the realities struggling Americans face on a daily basis has no business representing them.

Romney also said he would have a better chance of winning if his father (who was born in Mexico) was ethnically Mexican.

A man who in the presence of his rich cronies belittles both Latinos and the poor has nowhere else to turn but to the super-wealthy and narrow-minded.

Luckily for Romney, he understands his base of supporters that demean minorities and have Cayman bank accounts, because he is one of them.

Luckily for Obama, there are a lot more people in this country who are tolerant and care more about the poor than corporations.

Romney is not the only delusional Republican paving Obama’s path to re-election.

Republican Convention special celebrity guest Clint Eastwood is now infamous for the fierce debate he waged with an empty chair, which may have been won by the chair.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has declared Obamacare unconstitutional since the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality 5-4 to anyone who will listen to him.

He may want Obamacare to be unconstitutional but since constitutionality is not determined in Paul’s head but by the court. He is either mistaken on how the U.S. government works or is a very sore loser.

The delusions include Kentucky’s other senator, Mitch McConnell, who recently lectured at UK about the great respect he has for Henry Clay.

I guess The Great Obstructionist likes to show his incredible respect for The Great Compromiser by creating an environment in Washington where compromise is almost impossible and his party’s objective is to make Obama a one-term president.

The only thing Clay and McConnell have in common is their need to be a thorn in the side of the presidents that were in office during their legislative careers.

The difference is Andrew Jackson was a power-obsessed and committed human rights abuses against Native Americans while Obama wants to give Americans affordable health care, make billionaires pay more taxes, and make student loans more affordable.

Many of us at UK will have student loans to pay off and will enter a job market with few opportunities with our parents helping us any way they can.

Most students here do not have parents with the means to loan them money to start a business when they graduate, which Romney told students would be a good idea.

I agree with many Americans that Obama has not lived up to expectations. I also believe a more competent candidate would be beating him. But judging by this year’s Republican candidates, I’m not sure if the GOP has any competent candidates.

At this point, it’s beginning to seem that every time Romney speaks, Obama picks up more percentage points and pulls ahead in key swing states.

So when Americans go to the polls they will most likely cast a vote to keep Obama in office—or at least they will vote to keep Romney out.