Romney, Relaxing
Perhaps it was the sense of relief after Mitt Romney snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in Michigan. Perhaps it was the Romney campaign realizing that, front-runner or not, their candidate's palpable discomfort on the campaign trail was going to be a liability going forward. But whatever the reason, Mitt Romney did something important in his victory speech last night: he exhaled.
The questions about Romney's substance have been compounded by his style, which has heretofore resembled the guy who's a little too quick to offer you his business card at a cocktail party. His cadence is rushed; the flatness of his jokes is underlined by his deathless tendency to end them with a short, leaden chuckle (pity laughs are bad; giving them to yourself is worse); His relentless insistence on quoting from "America the Beautiful" makes him sound like someone who skimmed the first two chapters of "Conservatism for Dummies"; When he tries to insert some local color, he ends up ruminating on the proper height of timber.
There are two factors at work here. The first is that Romney is an unironic man in a deeply ironic era. He has a pre-1960s sensibility (one that is virtually dead outside of patrician circles today) that prizes decorum, restraint, and understatement. That trait is likely so deeply ingrained in his personality that it will not change. And, frankly, it shouldn't. Let the critics take their shots at Ward Cleaver's America. That they draw offense at the best kind of bourgeois values says more about them than Romney.
The other trend -- one that the candidate can remedy -- is that Romney has simply been trying too hard. He need not attempt the Sisyphean task of convincing conservatives that he is one of them; that, if his life had taken a different turn somewhere down the line, he'd be opening a Tea Party rally somewhere in the Detroit suburbs with a reading from Von Mises. Rather than projecting the desperate -- and transparent -- need to be loved, he needs to exude the confidence that ability breeds affection. And he also needs to endlessly drive home the point that Barack Obama doesn't have that ability.
While the transition is not yet complete, Romney did a good job of moving toward that tone last night in Michigan. For the first time in recent memory, he seemed relaxed, not rushing his words as if someone had given him five minutes to deliver a quarter hour's worth of remarks. The cutesy material and the self-conscious laughter were mostly jettisoned. And in their place were some new lines that effectively cut at the president. Some of Romney's better moments:
This President likes to remind us that he inherited an economic crisis. But he never mentions that he also inherited a Democratic Congress. With majorities in the House and Senate, President Obama was free to pursue any policy he pleased.
Did he fix the economy? Did he tackle the housing crisis? Did he get Americans back to work? No. He put us on a path toward debt, deficits, and decline.
... He thinks he deserves a second term. He keeps saying, We cant wait. To which I say, Yes, we can.
... We've seen enough of this President over the last three years to know that we don't need another four. President Obama believes he is unchecked by our Constitution. He is unresponsive to the will of our people. In a second term, he would be unrestrained by the demands of re-election. If there is one thing we cannot afford, it is four years of Barack Obama with nothing to answer to.
All sharp lines of attack. All ably delivered. It's not time to despair just yet.
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May '10
Re: Romney, Relaxing
Wow...I feel like you read my mind. It was a great relief to see him respond this way. There is always hope that he will change.
Jul '10
Re: Romney, Relaxing
That is the most apt critique of Romney's style I've read, Troy. I think your recommendation is an excellent one.
Apr '11
Re: Romney, Relaxing
It may be (at least this is my hope) that for Romney the biggest challenge is winning the Republican primary not beating Obama. If he can keep driving in the point that the O is a failure that will only keep getting worse Romney will be on good footing. You have to want to win, but you should also have the confidence that loosing is not so bad. People can tell when you are scared to loose and we don't like it. For the last few weeks Romney Team has been scared of loosing and it made them seem weak. I think they may be gaining confidence back, and that will help all Republicans gain their confidence back. Lord knows we need to get that back.
May '10
Re: Romney, Relaxing
Really insightful Troy. We're lucky to have your perspective.
Feb '11
Re: Romney, Relaxing
I can only hope Mitt is serious. As a Mormon, I've been embarrassed by Mormon politicians. Sen. Harry Reid comes to mind.
Mar '11
Re: Romney, Relaxing
I thought Mitt said that incendiary remarks about Obama were cheap attempts to excite the base.
You couldn't get a Ferrari F1 car to turn that quick.
Edited on February 29, 2012 at 11:46pmJul '11
Re: Romney, Relaxing
Harry Reid is a criminal. Mitt Romney is an inherently decent person even if he has been a big government RINO.
Dec '10
Re: Romney, Relaxing
Perhaps Mitt heard Charles Krauthammer and took his criticism to heart:
If the contested primary is making Mitt a better candidate, more "fluent in candidacy," that's a very good thing.
Aug '10
Re: Romney, Relaxing
I agree with your assessment, Troy. Romney needs to stop trying to be someone he is not and present himself for who he is - a family and church oriented businessman who spends his spare time hanging out with the grandkids at the lake cabin in New Hampshire (having a lake cabin is very common here in MN, it's not exclusive to rich people by any means).
Trying to portray himself as a NASCAR loving, gun-toting hunter is futile. Of course, a lot of type As have a hard time dialing it back so the fast talking and pressing probably come natural to Mitt.
Edited on March 1, 2012 at 12:21amMar '11
Re: Romney, Relaxing
Stuart Creque:
If the contested primary is making Mitt a better candidate, more "fluent in candidacy," that's a very good thing. · 0 minutes ago
If only we could speak positively of Romney without saying "if" all the time.
Re: Romney, Relaxing
Troy, thank you for the analysis. You brightened my day. A lot.
And Stuart, thanks for the Krauthammer quote. My favorite line: "He's a good man, I think will make a good president, but he's not a good candidate."
While I remain hopeful for a sustained Santorum surge, it is easier to look forward to Romney v. Obama with the former vividly and concisely making the argument for the latter's replacement.
Dec '10
Re: Romney, Relaxing
Gus Marvinson
Stuart Creque:
If the contested primary is making Mitt a better candidate, more "fluent in candidacy," that's a very good thing. · 0 minutes ago
If only we could speak positively of Romney without saying "if" all the time. · 2 minutes ago
Only time will tell. Will he show his new relaxed style and his renewed willingness to attack Obama in his stump speeches going forward, or was this a one-off event?
"We've seen enough of this President over the last three years to know that we don't need another four" is a way better line than "The trees are the right height."
Dec '10
Re: Romney, Relaxing
On the one hand, it is possible for a politician to learn how to be a better candidate. Troy's post (not yours, George - sorry) indicates that Romney may indeed be learning.
On the other hand, he's had since 2006 to get the hang of being a Presidential candidate. I wonder what's taken him so long.
Edited on March 1, 2012 at 12:35amMay '11
Re: Romney, Relaxing
Isn't being fluent in candidacy the same thing as learning to fake that sincerity thing?
Mar '11
Re: Romney, Relaxing
Yes. I am repulsed by good candidates but attracted by good leaders.
Dec '10
Re: Romney, Relaxing
Not exactly, no. An example of fluency is when Newt, in the debates, takes a moderator's question and ties it directly to a local concern of the state next on the primary calendar -- talking about the deepwater dredging of the Port of Charleston, say.
Or Bill Clinton having total recall of names and faces, so that he can flawlessly thank every local politico at each campaign event (as contrasted to Joe Biden's asking a wheelchair-bound man to stand up and take a bow).
You can learn to be comfortable and natural on a stage or at a podium, to talk to the crowd as if you're talking to friends. And you can learn to filter what you say so that you give responsive answers -- even to hecklers -- without giving critics ammunition to use against you. Heck, you can even learn how to give a non-responsive answer that still makes sense in context.
All that, and understanding the strategy that leads to a winning total of votes, delegates or electors - that's fluency in candidacy.
Dec '10
Re: Romney, Relaxing
Gus Marvinson
Yes. I am repulsed by good candidates but attracted by good leaders. · 3 minutes ago
I think it's necessary to have both qualities in a nominee. I don't want a candidate who's a great salesman for bad policies, and I don't want a candidate whose policies are great but who can't convince any voters of that fact. I want a candidate who can convince a majority of voters to enable him to put his great policies into practice.
Dec '10
Re: Romney, Relaxing
The other piece of that Krauthammer quote touches on Santorum's outreach to Reagan Democrats:
Mar '11
Re: Romney, Relaxing
Stuart Creque
Gus Marvinson
Yes. I am repulsed by good candidates but attracted by good leaders. · 3 minutes ago
I think it's necessary to have both qualities in a nominee. I don't want a candidate who's a great salesman for bad policies, and I don't want a candidate whose policies are great but who can't convince any voters of that fact. I want a candidate who can convince a majority of voters to enable him to put his great policies into practice. · 1 minute ago
And my point is that if it isn't natural, and he's doing it after umpteen years of trying, chances are he's faking it.
May '10
Re: Romney, Relaxing
The guy is authentically a square, reserved dork. Which is perfectly OK. Much better to be that, and run as that, than to strain to be something else -- to be even MORE inauthentic, as Troy said a few months ago. Know yourself and be yourself, Mitt, and you'll be fine. You might even be strangely lovable.