"I enjoy anecdotes about firing people." (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
that Romney supporters want their man to get more personal on the campaign trail:
The voters were pleading with Mitt Romney to share personal details of his life. They stood at town-hall-style meetings and chatted before rallies, clamoring for a story or an anecdote that would help them connect with the real Mitt Romney.
“I wish that you would speak more to a lot of the things that I think you should speak about — the fact that you were pastor at your church, the fact that you were a missionary, the fact that you do speak about helping with the Olympics,” Mary Toepfer, 40, of Warren, Ohio, said at a recent event.
What a fantastic idea. I'd love to hear Mitt Romney
tell more stories about how he used personal connections to steer millions of federal dollars to the Olympics. And I think he really ought to explain in personal terms why he, acting in his role as a pastor,
showed up unannounced at a hospital to warn a member of his church against getting an abortion even though her doctors had told her it was medically necessary. Or maybe he could explain why
he said he lived in poverty during his missionary work in France when he actually lived in a 19th century mansion.
So while Republicans might want to hear more about what's inside Mitt Romney...
Another voter, another day, spoke up in Bexley, Ohio, beseeching Mr. Romney to open up. “I’d like you to share with all the American citizens that are watching right now,” the man said, “to show the American people that you have a lot of heart.”
...Democrats do too. Maybe Mitt could regale with
more stories about why the trees are the right height in Michigan. Or how
he likes to fire people. Or why
he believes corporations are people. Or why
he thinks "the banks aren't bad people." Or maybe why
he thinks it's a "game" if you're uninsured and sick.
And certainly, please give us more humorous anecdotes about laying off workers and closing down factories. Those are the best.
So both Democrats and Republicans agree: we want to hear more from Mitt Romney. The difference is Republicans think they don't really know Mitt Romney yet. Democrats know that we already do. We just want to make sure everybody else does too.
