WASHINGTON – When good news happens to a bad candidate such as Mitt Romney, it makes an already difficult situation worse.

What’s he to do with good economic news, a source of joy to most Americans but a real downer for the self-styled business genius who says he is so much better at creating jobs than the community organizer occupying the White House?

The government reported last week that the unemployment rate fell in January to 8.3 percent, the lowest level since February 2009. In more “negative” news, the stock market rose this week to highs it hasn’t seen since the spring of 2008. Even independent economists are cautiously optimistic.

Romney’s dilemma is exacerbated by the shaky ground he already walks on. Enough doubt and resentment rumble just below the surface of his presumed nomination that a candidate as ludicrous as Newt Gingrich can tap into it just by speaking in full sentences at a debate, and a candidate as unlikely as Rick Santorum can attract attention. Imagine what a revived economy would do.

When Romney’s not expressing his lack of concern for the very poor or his enjoyment at firing people, he’s issuing bromides on his one-note (but 59-point!) job-creating platform. Supporters and elite conservative pundits are anxiously urging him to broaden his appeal.

But how? He can’t make an issue out of the health care crisis because Romneycare is an epithet to many in his own party. On immigration, he’s moved so far right, he’s at odds with his own church. Tax reform is a difficult subject because he pays a 13.9 percent rate and has as many shelters in the Cayman Islands as houses in the United States. He has no foreign policy experience. He could talk about his four years as governor of Massachusetts, except they include the unmentionable Romneycare and a shameful rate of job creation, fourth-lowest in the country.

There are a few bright spots, for Romney if not the rest of us. We all appreciate that he has a lovely family and can sing “America the Beautiful.” Meanwhile, gasoline prices continue to rise, ditto a quart of milk and a loaf of bread. And have you put your house on the market lately? Bummer. But none of this is enough for a platform.

Obama and Romney now face parallel dilemmas. Obama has to be careful not to make too much of this good news lest he look callous. Romney has to be careful not to make too little of it lest he look churlish.

Maybe Clint Eastwood can sort it all out. It’s halftime, if not morning, in America, he told Americans in an ad that aired during halftime in Sunday’s Super Bowl. Hard times come, but Americans get right back up again – “because that’s what we do. We find a way through tough times, and if we can’t find a way, then we’ll make one.” He ended, “Our second half is about to begin.”

Dirty Harry made Obama’s day and ruined Romney’s. Yet there’s hope for the challenger yet. The stronger the economy gets, the more folks will come out of their depressed holes and start looking for work. Then the jobless rate will tick back up. So Romney’s got to ask himself one question: Does he feel lucky?