WASHINGTON (CBSDC) – After a rocky week for Romney Republicans, a New York Times columnist called the conservative candidate, “the least popular candidate in history.”

As one of the panelists on NBC’s “Meet The Press” roundtable discussion, David Brooks drew the succinct conclusion from some recent data on Romney’s popularity.

“Look at his high unfavorable ratings,” host David Gregory said. “At 50 percent – the highest of any candidate running in recent memory – this is an image problem that his philosophical statements in this speech in May to fundraisers only exacerbates.”

Aside from the secretly taped video of Romney at the May fundraiser, the panelists pointed out the bump to Barack Obama following the Democratic convention and Romney’s “bumbling handling” of Middle East unrest as other factors negatively affecting his campaign.

“He has to look at what the president’s weakness is,” Brooks said. “He’s never gonna win a popularity contest…he does not have the passion for the stuff he’s talking about.”

Polls have brought grim results surrounding Romney’s favorability, with a late August ABC News/Washington Post survey drawing a 35 percent likability rating.

“He’s a problem solver,” Brooks said. “I think he’s a non-ideological person running in an extremely ideological age, and he’s faking it.”