For those of you under a political rock somewhere who didn’t know, Mitt Romney announced his candidacy for the President of the United States this morning in Michigan, his old home state. The event went of seemingly without a hitch as Mitt spoke in front of a large crowd of people (no numbers yet from any sources I could find) that braved a bad snowstorm to listen to him at the Ford Museum. (And no, I had no idea that Henry Ford was an anti-semite until yesterday and no, I don’t think it matters a single iota.)
Here’s my overall impression: It started slow, but I liked it more as it went on. So it was a good speech overall. However, it didn’t include some things I had hoped it would.
The speech began with a brief bio of Mitt’s father George, spoke about his mom, and then about the cars and planes in the museum they were at. For me, personally, this was a really slow part of the speech – and it was about 4 or 5 minutes long. It probably could have been done in 1 or 2 minutes and kept people’s attention more effectively. But maybe that’s just me. The crowd there in Michigan seemed to absolutely love him.
But after he transitioned into his political portion of the speech, using the term “innovation and transformation” as a segue, it started to get a lot better. Romney is clearly running as an outsider, as seen when he says things like, “If there ever was a time when innovation and transformation were needed in government, it is now. We have lost faith in government, not in just one party, not in just one house, but in government.”
He positions himself as the candidate with the best experience by explaining, “I do not believe Washington can be transformed from within by a lifelong politician. There have been too many deals, too many favors, too many entanglements … and too little real world experience managing, guiding, leading. And I do not believe Washington can be transformed by someone who has never tried doing such a thing before, in any setting, by someone who has never even managed a corner store, let alone the largest enterprise in the world.”
Romney continued with some soaring rhetoric (though not nearly as much as Obama the other day!) with lines such as, “I believe the American people are the source of our strength. They always have been. They always will be. The American people: hard working, educated, innovative, ready to sacrifice for family and country, patriotic, seeking opportunity above dependence, God-fearing, free American people. When we need to call on the strength of America, we should strengthen the American people, not the American government!” and “It’s time to build a new American dream for all of America’s families. How will this new American dream be built? Our hopes and dreams will inspire us, for we are an optimistic people. But hope alone is just crossing fingers, when what we need is industrious hands. It is time for hope and action. It is time to do, as well as to dream!”
And he ends with this: “America’s greatest innovation is freedom. Without freedom, we have nothing. With freedom, nothing can hold us back.”
In terms of policy and plans for the future of this country, the speech was great (empty suits, take note). In terms of rhetoric, it almost bordered on too little for me, but finally took off toward the end as I quoted above. So it was a good speech. There was one area, though, that I thought Mitt did not do well at all with this speech, and that is defining himself.
One of the main purposes of a candidacy announcement speech like this is to let voters know who you are and where you stand. You’re introducing yourself, especially in Mitt’s case where he consistently has around only 30% name recognition, and telling folks the truth about any rumors out there. So I was really expecting Mitt to take on the flip-flopping label a little in this speech, and also to take on the religion aspect in this speech.
Even if it was a simple, “I haven’t always been a Ronald Reagan conservative, but then again, neither was Ronald Reagan,” or a, “As President, I am beholden to the Constitution and not to any religion – just like John F Kennedy was,” it would have been a lot better. This is all he said about being pro-life: “I believe in the sanctity of human life.” That’s it. Never addressed the fact that once he didn’t govern that way and now he does. All the news stories I’ve read about the speech sure discussed it, however, so it would have been prudent on Mitt’s part to let the American people hear from his own mouth about that issue and not just the MSM’s.
That being said, though, Romney got a lot of applause for his stances on other issues, especially on judges, taxes, spending, immigration, and the war in Iraq. All in all, it was a very good kickoff event for the Romney campaign – not great, but very good. The biggest question after the speech was whether or not his plane was going to be able to take off in the midst of a bad snowstorm so he could get to his other campaign stops today.
February 13th, 2007 at 11:38 am
[...] post by HeavyM and software by Elliott [...]
February 13th, 2007 at 11:42 am
question just wondering with this announcement does this speed up every one elses jumping in the ring announcment?
February 13th, 2007 at 11:42 am
I thought it was a solid speech. Again, I’ve seen him better. I think his real difficulty is he’s trying to straddle the line between his natural pragmatism/caution and Reaganesque, hope-tinged rhetoric. For instance lines like “As long as there’s a reasonable prospect of success in Iraq…” is perhaps a pragmatic line, but it does very little for those who oppose the war, and inspires none who support it. And if Romney, as an underdog, is going to win the nomination, he needs to inspire people with a bold vision, and a no-nonsense attitude. He’s tried that by using vague generalities, ala-Obama, and touching stories, but I think he needs more. He needs to take a few risks.
February 13th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Greg, by my estimations, there’s only 5 guys that have a possible shot at the GOP nomination: McCain, Giuliani, Romney, Huckabee, and Brownback. Out of those five, only two have yet to announce – McCain and Huckabee.
I guess you can count Giuliani as not “officially” announcing yet because of the silly games he’s playing with that right now, but he has said he is 100% committed to entering the race he just hasn’t decided when yet.
I think McCain can afford to wait longer than anyone else to announce, for two reasons: one, his name recognition is already as high as it will get, and two, nobody doubts he will actually run so he can still lock up fundraisers and endorsements and such. For Brownback and Giuliani, it was essential to announce so people knew they were serious about the race. For Romney, he needed to do it to get his name and positions in the news. McCain doesn’t need to do either.
Huckabee, though, might need to go soon for the same reasons as Romney, only moreso. He consistently polls at 0-3% in polls, most of the time pulling in 1% of the vote. If he wants to convince folks he’s for real and get some media attention, he’s going to have to announce.
The crazy thing is that in the 2000 race, George W Bush didn’t even form his exploratory committee until March of 1999 – one month from where we are right now in this race. And McCain didn’t even officially enter the race until September 1999. Politics is becoming just one big election.
February 13th, 2007 at 11:58 am
so rudy can take his time as long as he wants? meaning rudy could be safe by waiting till like before april because the first debate in NH is april 3-4 for both parties some time to formally geting the ring offically?
February 13th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Greg, I don’t think so, actually. Rudy’s biggest problem fundraising was convincing people he was actually running. He’s bought himself some time with this whole “I’m 100% committed to running, I’m just not doing it officially yet” nonsense — but my guess would be if he doesn’t announce “officially” in the next week or two, we will again start seeing articles with headlines like “Is He REALLY Running?” and such.
February 13th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
intresting.. so basically he need to threw his hat in on or before 28 febuary NO later then end of first week of MARCH?
February 13th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Whether or not Mitt is rising, it’s clear from many polls (as well as anecdotally) that McCain’s support is shrinking. I wonder if McCain might end up forgoing the race. Nobody who knows him seems to think this is possible, but I wonder. He’s old; his health isn’t perfect; his wife has had problems in the past; he’s dropping in the polls; he hasn’t raised much money; he hasn’t engaged in much onsite campaigning. Does anyone else think that in the end, McCain might not even run?
February 13th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
Marksal, that would be a huge shift in the way this race looks. What was billed forever as a McCain vs. Romney matchup has now become a McCain vs. Romney vs. Giuliani matchup. To have that shift again to a Romney vs. Giuliani matchup would be earth-shattering. And, one can only assume, more beneficial to Romney than Giuliani.
I don’t foresee it happening, personally. But I wouldn’t rule it out entirely, either. Stranger things have happened – like Warner, Bayh, and Feingold dropping out of the Dem field, for instance.
February 13th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
I ‘ll just say this I don’see him racing around america as much as Rudy! that tells me something he does’s not want it!.by the way , i think we can expect a rudy announcement soon i think now that mitts in!
February 13th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
From today’s Hotline alone:
1)GOP FIELD: Romney In Free-Fall
2)…front-runner, MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R), has suffered a death of a thousand flip-flop cuts.
3)Kerry-Romney Connection Gaining Strength … “Mitt Romney’s flip flops are enough to make John Kerry blush.”
Romney may set the record for the shortest time period ever between “I’m running” and “I am stepping out of the race because _________ (insert excuse here – my prostate hurts, I need to spend time with my family, my dog got run over, etc.)
February 13th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
Reginald,
These attacks against Romney only cement his status as a serious Republican contender. They are from liberals mostly and conservatives who can’t get over his faith.
All those talking points are there to take the wind out of Romney’s sails as he formally announces his presidential run. It is to be expected for sure. There is very little substance to any of them.
The fact of the matter is that these people know that Romney can out organize, out fund raise, and out shine their candidate as he as out performed all major candidates in these areas despite having limited name recognition. Due to this, the fear him and are attempting to derail his campaign early. I’ve discovered that those who support Romeny, have stronger support for him verses other candidates. I can’t back that up – that is more of a hunch or an opinion at the moment.
On another note, I do admire what Rudy said about Romney recently:
“Governor Romney is a good friend, he was somebody I campaigned for very hard when he ran for governor of Massachusetts, helped him get elected. I don’t think I’ll be campaigning for him for the Republican nomination this time. I have another candidate that I think is probably going to be better, but I really wish him well. He’s a very good man.”
That is classy. That is one reason why Rudy is my #2 pick behind Romney for the time being..
February 13th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Greg #5 – the NH primary debates are actually the 4th and 5th (with the republicans going first) – just a nit-picky point.
I have not yet seen the Governor’s speech, though, I have read the transcript and I did like what I had to read but at the same time agree with HeavyM that I wish he would have spent some more time defining himself instead of allowing the MSM to do the defining for him.
As a side not – Romney’s campaign stop in NH tomorrow is about 99% cancelled due to the 18 to 24 inches of snow being expected to fall in the hours leading up to and following the planned event.
Jay Severen (Boston and former national libertarian radio talk show host) said he has a sneaking suspicion about McCain and his desire to run. To paraphrase, and I tend to agree, if he really wants this (which everyone says he does) then he needs to start acting like it. He’s not out there campaigning but has others making speeches for him. I would just think, as the presumed frontrunner (you know, sort of) then he should be acting like it and I just don’t see it.
Just my $.02
February 13th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
True, but unlike Romney and Guiliani, McCain still has a full-time job right now: US Senator. I applaud him for taking that seriously.
February 13th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
“They are from liberals mostly and conservatives who can’t get over his faith.” – cwpete, I’d be careful to write off the majority of one’s opponents as simply being bigoted over someones religion. Im spent my life in New England and myself and many others have been alarmed at how little presidential Mitt resembles Governor Mitt. He does seem to be a great family man and good guy, but there is no debating that he is a political chameleon, to put it in kind terms.
New England Republicans, myself included, were waiting with breathless anticipation for Romney to run. Then he started flipping his positions. He does not resemble the guy who won the governorship and that sends off alarm bells and NOT because he is a Mormon. Romney was never a “culture warrior” until he wanted to be pres., and then his positions changed, there is no debating that fact.
February 13th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
As a New England Republican I must say I am refreshed that Mitt is running. As a Granite Stater I will do all that I can to help him with this state and the nomination. Many may not like his new stance on abortion (I won’t argue how new) but that is their perogative. I think this county is in desperate need of a fiscal conservative who can turn our economy around and build up the working class and Mitt is the man to do just that. Not only that, but Mitt has shown that he can work with a hostile legislature and barring a miracle that is what he is going to need to do.
February 13th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
As do I. So, should he resign immediately and start his campaign or wait until some time later down the road to stop taking his fulltime job so seriously?? Is Arizona’s governor a Dem or Rep?
February 13th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Arizona’s gov is a LIBERAL dem who, by the way, supports illegal immigration and
refuses to recognize a national holiday for Reagan.
February 13th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
NEWS FLASH ! just heard on CNN that rudy is booked on larry king live tommrow night do you think this means anything ? like offically announcing ?
February 13th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
You’d think Rudy could do better than Larry King for an announcement platform. Leno, O’Reilly, and Hannity & Colmes have more viewers and would probably be willing forums.
February 13th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
well after I heard cnn say rudy’s on larry king tommrow night I just put was thing and plus I heard rudy was close to deciding? plus larry king is is in CA and rudy’s in CA that what i thought of the idea!.
February 13th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Romney’s a tough cookie, and his low name recognition is probably an opportunity (cp. McCain’s high name recognition, and stagnant numbers).
As a commentator said today, he looks good on TV, which is becoming more and more how we pick the President. Unless Brownback or Huckabee gain traction, Romney will become the conservative default candidate. He’d win a head to head with Guiliani, and for my two cents I think McCain is finished too. I do admire that he is doing his day job though…
You wonder if being out of office is actually a real help for candidates, as they don’t have to be distracted by running a state, or attending votes. This helps Huckabee, Romney, Guiliani (and Edwards, Vilsack and Gore on the Dem side)
February 13th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
RG will not copy the governator by announcing on a late night talk show, such as
The Tonight Show. RG will announce ON WALL STREET right outside the old Federal Building! Thats my prediction.
February 14th, 2007 at 1:04 am
HeavyM stated, “There was one area, though, that I thought Mitt did not
do well at all with this speech, and that is defining himself.” One
strategic advantage to Romney’s early announcement of his Presidential
candidacy is it gives him time to make himself known. No one would
accuse McCain, Gulliani, Clinton of failure to define themselves in
their announcement. I did not hear that accusation against Obama, and I
suppose that must be because the news media find him politically
appealing (for some reason). Most news articles lead with Mitt Romney’s
name and his religion. Therefore, this morning Romney obviously was
defining himself as a leader and over the next year he will help the
public understand his history, his accomplishments and himself. I do not
think Mitt Romney will spend time defining religion other then to assure
the public that although he and Harry Reid are of the same religion their
church tells neither one how to lead a country.
February 14th, 2007 at 1:22 am
HeavyM,
Good post!
BTW, I’ve was surprisingly busy today, so I haven’t gotten a chance to watch Mitt’s speech yet. I might get a chance tomorrow night sometime, but who knows. But once I watch the speech I’ll either reply here or write my own post on it.
February 14th, 2007 at 10:39 am
After watching Romney’s announcement speech, I believe that everything he talked about is PURE TRUTH. My take is that he truly
believes he can correct the problems or improve our nations status with the current issues we are dealing with or will face.
I have no doubt that Romney is who this country needs as the next President. I hope he is given the chance – I will do all I can
to help it happen!