As the RNC convention gets under way and Ann Romney's long anticipated "humanizaton of Mitt"speech approaches, the focus shifts to her.
Mitt Romney's presidential campaign has been a series of bad misses during this summer so it's little wonder that they are operating under this delusion
Mitt Romney's campaign advisers have long considered his personable, 63-year-old wife their not-so-secret weapon as he's spent the better part of eight years running for president. Even their sons refer to her as "the great Mitt stabilizer."
Romney, indeed, is expected to do what she does best on Tuesday night — humanize Mitt Romney by portraying him to an American prime-time audience as a loving, loyal husband, father of five and grandfather to 18.
It's unclear why or where they get this idea, other than anyone standing next to Mitt is bound to look radiant. If this is her special talent, why is Mitt the most
unpopular Republican candidate in a generation? And having the task of trying to make your candidate seem human (someone you'd think would be a given) is beyond surreal.
Since Mitt Romney locked up the nomination as the Republican Presidential candidate we have been besieged with stories in the media about how wife Ann Romney has been assigned the Mission Impossible task of 'humanizing Mitt'.
TAMPA Fla. — Ann Romney will take to the podium here Tuesday night and try to accomplish what the sharpest minds in Republican politics have failed to do: present her stiff and awkward husband as a likable guy.
Her speech is considered second in importance only to Mitt Romney’s and will set the tone for the week as the Republican Party presents its case for turning President Barack Obama out of office.
Convention and campaign officials see Ann Romney as the only person who can credibly change the image of the former Massachusetts governor from remote rich guy to that of a man of warmth and character.
“To the extent people want to know a more personal side of Mitt Romney, Ann Romney will be that messenger,” Fehrnstrom said.
Actually, I think I can do without a more personal side of Mitt Romney, thank you very much.
Queen Ann-toinette
In fact, Ann Romney has been out of the spotlight mostly in advance of the convention. Indeed, media talkers have noticed that she has dropped out of sight lately.
But since he locked up the nomination, she has rarely appeared on the campaign trail. She was on hand for the announcement of Paul Ryan as the vice presidential choice, but dropped off the trail after the two candidates parted ways two days later. Traveling reporters say she has been cooler toward them.
Campaign officials are vague about what role Ann Romney will play in the fall campaign — except to say that it will be significant.
More generous accounts
hint at attributing her absence to well known health problems.
Ann Romney — who, friends report, has had to drop off the campaign trail from time to time because of lingering MS-induced fatigue, and will again this fall — has her own prime-time speech slot in Tampa. She’ll tell the nation about the husband she says voters don’t really know.
“He’s a generous, good-hearted man, and this is our opportunity to put meat on those bones,” one pal told The News.
In a
roundtable on the upcoming convention on the Charlie Rose Show, a group of political pundits discussed the preposterous problem of why Mitt Romney "Can't establish himself as an interesting human being".
Joe Klein noted the current Time cover featuring Mitt Romney, and noted that Ann Romney was conspicuously missing.
All of us thought she would be an extraordinarily helpful asset in humanizing Mitt. She hasn't been. Everybody thought she would be such a tremendous weapon for him. She hasn't been. She's not that good.
Her speeches have been too partisan and they haven't established Mitt as a human being enough. And that is her role, to establish him as a human being.
Maggie Haberman noted that
Ann Romney has been allowed to be in these situations where
she is playing defense for the campaign for troublesome issues, like taxes and so forth which are not things she should be talking about. That's not what they need her for.
The discussion
starts approximately at 21:00
She's not that good - finally, someone has the nerve to say the emperor has no clothes. But let's hope the Romney campaign keeps operating under the delusion that Ann is their best secret weapon.