That's scary.

So imagine your Mitt Romney and your campaign is, uh, struggling.  You are the first presidential candidate from either party in 24 years to have a net negative favorability rating, and you are losing to an incumbent President with the worst economic numbers of any incumbent President.

What do you do?  HAND OUT BONUSES!

Mitt Romney’s campaign handed out more than $200,000 in bonuses last month to senior staffers, according to new disclosure records filed Thursday.

Richard Beeson, Romney’s national political director, received a $37,500 payment on Aug. 31 in addition to his salary,  according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission.

In addition, records show at least six other top staffers each received $25,000 bonuses on the same date: campaign manager Matt Rhoades, general counsel Kathryn Biber, policy advisor Lanhee Chen, communications director Gail Gitcho, digital director Zach Moffatt and advisor Gabriel Schoenfeld. Two other employees received $10,000 bonuses.

Bonuses, in the real world, are handed out as rewards for success.  Which either means: (a) Romney thinks he's been doing just great lately; or (2) Romney just hands out money to those near him because… well, because he can't help it.

And keep in mind that the Romney campaign is all about combatting the “culture of dependency” by separating indolent lay-abouts who fail from the cream of the crop.  Guess Romney himself has a hard time distinguishing the two.