Romney needs speech of his life

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August 30, 2012

Romney needs speech of his life

Anonymous The Daily Star Thu Aug 30, 2012, 10:42 AM EDT

“I haven’t had an orthodox career, and I’ve wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time I didn’t feel it,   but this time I feel it, and I can’t deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!”

Those words were spoken by actress Sally Field, accepting an Academy Award for 1984’s “Places in the Heart,” but they could   just as easily be the sentiments of Mitt Romney tonight when he accepts the Republican Party’s presidential nomination.

Four years ago, Romney was mistrusted by many voters in the GOP primaries based upon what was perceived as his flip-flopping   on such core issues as abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research and gun control.

What’s more, eventual 2008 candidate John McCain and other Republican presidential aspirants did little to hide their contempt   for Romney.

But Romney, after dropping out of the 2008 primaries, never actually stopped running. He built an impressive campaign organization,   raised a lot of money and dominated a weak field to become the only person standing in the way of Barack Obama becoming a   two-term president.

Most ardent Republicans — many of whom remained wary of the former Massachusetts governor until it became clear that he would   be their nominee — don’t have to love Romney to vote for him, such is their disdain for the current occupant of the White   House.

But Romney has a problem. Voters who are unhappy with Obama but don’t have a visceral hatred of him need to be persuaded that   Romney is if not lovable, at least likable.

On Tuesday, the first installment of a four-day rolling poll by Reuters/Ipsos found that by 54 percent to 26 percent Americans   find Obama more likable, reflecting results in other polls. Forty-seven percent of respondents said the president is “a good   person.” Only 29 percent had that opinion of Romney, and 48 percent said Obama would be “fun to meet in person,” compared   to only 21 percent who felt that way about Romney.

While the economy is by far the most important issue in the campaign, people do tend to vote for the person they like more,   with whom they feel more comfortable. Look no further than George W. Bush against Al Gore in the 2000 election.

Thus, it is absolutely vital for Mitt Romney to give the speech of his life tonight. Whether that speech succeeds will depend   not so much on the immediate reaction from Democrats who harp on what he said or didn’t say or from Republicans who exclaim   that “he knocked it out of the park.”

It will come down to whether Mitt Romney will have earned a “place in the heart” of the American people.