Some of the sages of the 24-hour news cycle, in their infinite wisdom, have declared that the fate of the upcoming presidential election hinges on the fate of the economy. Maybe so. But then again, there are entire armies of organizers, strategists, consultants, speechwriters, phone-callers, door-bell ringers and otherwise mobilized, politically-minded citizens that would beg to differ. Ultimately, whether all the noise that these campaigns make in the run-up to the election actually sways its outcome — or whether it’s merely entertainment — is impossible to know. What is known, however, is that the way candidates and their supporters try to sell themselves often reveals a great deal about their character.

Thus far, the Mitt Romney campaign’s rhetoric has been, like the candidate himself, persistently stale. Many of the allegations leveled against President Barack Obama — of being a socialist, of being weak on our enemies, of trampling over the Constitution and so on — come out of the well-worn Republican playbooks. Yet interestingly enough, as Ben Smith noted in Politico, the Romney campaign’s official slogan comes from a much less likely source. It is taken verbatim from a Democrat — namely John Kerry’s slogan in his 2004 presidential bid.

Or maybe it’s not such an unlikely source, after all. Recently, I came across an article on Fox News’ website titled, not unpredictably, “Obama’s New Campaign Slogan’s Historical Ties to Marxism, Socialism.” Compared to the dubious connection of Obama to Karl Marx, it should go without saying that Romney’s own slogan is taken from a politician to whom he bears a much greater resemblance — another unrelatably wealthy and uncharismatic Massachusetts official hated for his chameleon streak. It is no coincidence that both men should adopt the same words.

During the 2008 election, Obama himself, as the first really serious black presidential contender, embodied the “change” touted in his slogan. Even now, his social and foreign policies do genuinely look “forward” (his new catchphrase). Romney, on the other hand, as a person and a politician, has no discernible connection to his message. Rather, the slogan “Believe in America” is designed to transfer the focus from a stiff, unexciting candidate to an abstract notion that actually excites people. In 2004, Kerry was that stiff, unexciting candidate while Bush was his charming opponent. The same dichotomy exists between Romney and Obama.

Yet, in the context of this upcoming election, Kerry’s recycled motto also takes on additional, sinister connotations that go beyond a simple appeal to patriotism. Like most ingenious political jargon, “Believe in America” delivers its message only half explicitly and leaves the rest to be swept up and carried away in the paranoid imaginations of its target audience.

Consider, by way of analogy, the term “pro-life,” which not only cloaks a controversial idea in an unassailable sentiment, but also, suggests a picture of its opposition that is clearly odious — that they are “anti-life.” In the same way, the phrase “Believe in America,” on its surface, appeals universally and inclusively.

Yet, this slogan comes in the wake of the “birther movement” — at the height of which 58 percent of Republicans said that they either believed Obama was born in a foreign country or that they weren’t sure, according to a poll conducted by Kos/Research 2000. It comes amidst the ongoing questioning of the President’s “true” religion — nearly one-fifth of Americans believed him to a be a secret Muslim in 2010, according to the Pew Research Center. As a result, Romney’s catchphrase cannot help but tap into the racist and xenophobic undercurrents of the anti-Obama constituency and incite those who already believe that the president’s skin color, funny-sounding name and family history signal that his allegiance to his country is somehow divided — that he doesn’t truly “Believe in America.”

Ultimately, this kind of rhetoric from the Romney camp reflects the weaknesses of their own candidate. The strategy is not “Believe in Romney” — as “Change” was really a moniker for Obama in the slogan “Change We Can Believe In.” Rather, Romney’s strategy is “Believe in America.” It’s “Fear Obama’s Foreignness,” not “Get Excited About Romney.” It is, quite frankly, like Mitt Romney himself, a little bit pathetic.