Journalists covering Mitt Romney on the campaign trail – including this reporter – often poke fun at the candidate’s laser-like focus on messaging.
If given the choice between listening to another Romney speech back to back on the campaign trail and a visit to the dentist, I’d bet the embedded reporters who are ‘on the bus,’ would choose a trip to the dentist at this point in the campaign.
A least favorite bit of journos is when Romney “sings” America the Beautiful.
For anyone who has ever seen Romney speak in person this year, you know his singing is usually more like a poetic recitation that he sometimes asks the crowd to join in on.
We’re not flaming liberals (OK, most of my colleagues in the press probably are) and it’s not that we hate America. Romney’s message is just so “painfully consistent” that even the sounds of America the Beautiful has us running for the hills.
Romney spoke in the middle of what looked like a bull fighting ring surrounded by supporters, cheering him on like a matador as he took on Obama’s policies by the horns and fought them one by one.
“He said we needed to take advantage of all our sources of energy. OH REALLY!” Romney exclaimed. “How about the Keystone Pipeline from Canada? I’ll build it any day you want!”
The core of Romney’s message was still the same – that he is the best presidential candidate to put our country back on the right track and create jobs.
“He talked about what it takes to create jobs,” Romney said of President Obama’s State of the Union speech. “He said a lot of things that were right – he just doesn’t do these things.”
But unlike previous speeches, Romney seemed less scripted and spoke to the crowd instead of at them.
“I can see that we have a border security problem here. That shirt – it says Michigan. And there’s a hat over there with an M on it! I can’t believe it! This is the Buckeye State! They even let me in today!” he joked. The crowd ate it up.
It’s understandable why Romney’s advisors encourage him to stick to the stump speech. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich’s inabilities to stay on message are among their greatest weaknesses as presidential candidates. Likewise, in the last week Romney himself made headlines for a comment he made about the number of Cadillacs his wife drives and a condescending remark he made to poncho-wearing Nascar fans.
Even his unscripted closing line last night could have been misinterpreted the wrong way. “I need your vote – get out there and vote as many times as they let ya! No, not . . . not that way. Get your friends to go with ya. Get people to go with you.”
Regardless, the cliché that you will catch more flies with honey could be of use to Romney and his advisers – you’ll catch more voters with personality.
