Was the Republican National Convention a Success for Mitt Romney? >
Mitt Romney Failed To Present Clear Vision for the Future
Mitt Romney missed an opportunity to present detailed plans, and his surrogates weren't much help to him
August 31, 2012
About Zerlina Maxwell:
Zerlina Maxwell is a Democratic strategist and contributing writer for The New York Daily News, EBONY.com, theGrio.com, and Feministing.com.
Conventions are carefully coordinated political infomercials intended to make the top of the ticket look presidential and ready for primetime. The 2012 Republican National Convention not only made Mitt Romney look like an afterthought, it exposed a big liability in his entire campaign for president: Romney has no distinct vision for the future of the country.
Attacking the current administration is not enough. Romney had the task of introducing himself to the country, attempting to appear empathetic with the struggles of ordinary Americans, and most importantly, showcasing his plans for where he would take the country if elected.
[See a Slideshow of the 11 Most Memorable Political Convention Speeches.]
On night one, Ann Romney introduced Romney's softer side in a speech that did help him appear more human than any past appearances or interviews. Arguably though her speech did not succeed in making Romney appear empathetic, as portions of the speech felt forced in a "we understand your pain" kind of way, when it was ultimately clear that the Romney's do not. When your definition of "struggle" is cashing in stock options to pay for your children's education, you don't understand what most Americans are going through.
The most important goal for Romney should have been showcasing his plans for the future of the country. Romney failed first because he selected speakers who were all about their own political futures. Speaker after speaker only mentioned Romney's name sparingly, apparently more concerned with their personal audition for 2016, than helping make the case for Romney in 2012.
Last night, Romney himself was upstaged by actor Clint Eastwood who introduced him and went overtime in a bizarre performance that left many scratching their heads. While the conventions always give the candidates a small bounce in the polls, it's clear that Romney let this critical moment slip away.
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- Other Arguments
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#121979
Yes — The RNC overcame Isaac, united Republicans behind their nominee, and improved Romney's White House chances
FORD O'CONNELL, Republican Strategist, Conservative Activist, and Political Analyst
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#27350
No — The RNC's happy talk allowed speakers to skip over the ticket's less cheery policy plans
BRAD BANNON, President of Bannon Communications Research
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#38563
No — The party faithful are already behind Mitt Romney, but he failed to make the case to voters
PENNY LEE, Democratic Strategist and President of Venn Strategies, LLC
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#45141
No — RNC's speakers focused on Romney's intangibles, not the platform
BRANDON ROTTINGHAUS, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Houston
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#64543
Yes — Tampa an overall success, but if the GOP was looking for a winning message, it didn't build it
JAMIE CHANDLER, Political Scientist at Hunter College
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#75866
Yes — The convention presented Mitt Romney as a compassionate leader capable of turning country around
LARA BROWN, Author of 'Jockeying for the American Presidency: The Political Opportunism of Aspirants'
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#83451
Yes — Mitt Romney did an amazing job of defining himself
JUDSON PHILLIPS, Founder of Tea Party Nation
