The new Romney

Toby Harnden:

Mitt Romney has been running for president for nigh on six years. He finished third last time around but he continued on, hardly missing a beat.

The “new” 2012 Romney is making an effort to appear more ordinary. He is almost never seen in a suit or tie, instead wearing chinos and Oxford shirts. His famously perfect hair is now slightly messed up. Gone is the presidential-style entourage of 2008. Now he travels in a single Chevy Suburban.

Despite everything, however – his longevity as a candidate, his willingness to do “what it takes”, as the title of Richard Ben Cramer’s classic volume about the 1988 campaign put it, and endure the loneliness and the humiliating scrutiny – some of his supporters now fear it will be for naught.

Having been anointed frontrunner for months, the former Massachusetts governor is now under serious threat from Governor Rick Perry of Texas, who opened up a Gallup poll lead of 12 points after just a week in the race. Romney’s response so far has been to ignore this new pretender.
The permanent campaigner for the Republican presidential nomination clearly hates campaigning. Standing in school gymnasiums and civic buildings in New Hampshire last week, Romney seemed almost pained by the indignity of having to respond to questions.

Sometimes he answered patiently, as if addressing a dilatory schoolchild. On other occasions he was brusque, almost sarcastic.

In Lebanon, New Hampshire, he virtually shouted down a woman asking about Social Security reform. “You had your turn madam, let me have mine!” he said fiercely. “Listen…I’m sorry, it’s my turn!”

This exchange was viewed by most as an error, an example of a candidate lowering himself by losing his cool. It was similar to the occasion at the Iowa State Fair when he retorted to a heckler that “corporations are people too”, a statement greeted with glee by Democrats, who said it showed the multi-millionaire former venture capitalist was out of touch.
In fact, this newly engaged and animated Romney is an improvement. He’s showing that he can be hard-edged and combative at a time when most Americans are demanding action rather than emollient words. Both in Lebanon and at the Iowa fair, the people he took on were Democrats seeking not answers but to score points.

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Canddiates should do a better job of dealing with the plants by asking whether they are Democrats or Republicans, then going on to answer their questions. If the plants want shut up, the candidate would respond by saying they paid for the microphone and were invited to answer questions from Republicans and not to be a prop for Democrat sound bites on the evening news.

Romney is biding his time in attacking Gov. Perry. His hectoring attacks of 2008 did not help him so he is trying to stay on message and focus his attacks on President Obama. I think this is the best course for him for now.