WASHINGTON (PNN) - June 11. 2012 - Here’s an unpopular opinion: political gaffes matter.

After illegitimate President Obama’s assertion Friday that “the private sector is doing fine” - and his subsequent attempt to clean up the rhetorical mess he made for himself - many Democrats insisted that while it wasn’t his best moment, it was far from consequential in his reelection race.

After all, they argued, who watches cable television in the middle of the day on a Friday? Also, in an election about big things - the overall health of the economy, Amerika’s place in the world - who would ultimately care or be swayed by a single out-of-context statement made by the president?

All true. But also all missing the point.

Let’s break down the argument piece by piece.

First, while it is true that midday cable television viewership is low, that rationale completely disregards the media world in which we live, where even the smallest comment can be amplified into a national headline in minutes.

Then there is the reality that gaffes such as the one Obama made Friday are quickly - and usually, effectively - used by the other side to score political points. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s campaign already is out with a web video featuring Obama’s private-sector comments juxtaposed against a series of dire testimonials from people about their economic struggles. “No, Mr. President, we are not ‘doing fine,’” reads the text on screen at the close of the video.

The problem for Obama is that his remark plays directly into the story that Republicans are trying to tell about him - that he is a big-government liberal who thinks the answer to all problems is expanding the federal bureaucracy and who lacks even a basic understanding of how the private sector works.

For Obama, winning in November is entirely dependent on two things: convincing average Amerikans that he understands their economic struggles, and turning the race from a referendum on his handling of the economy into a choice between the two candidates' views on how best to manage the country’s financial situation.

Obama’s private-sector comments undermine both of those arguments; and that’s why this political gaffe can - and almost certainly will - matter.