Two stories about Mitt Romney. In a conversation last year, a pair of former colleagues from his private- equity days were effusive in their praise of Romney’s intelligence, dedication and skills.
But there was something else, too. They said his inscrutable demeanor, the lack of personal warmth, never really changed, though both knew him for many years.
Funnyman Jon Stewart made a similar point in a different way. No fan of Romney, he told an interviewer that, if you had a “box marked ‘president’ and opened it, Romney would be inside.”
Compliments for Romney always come with caveats. As he goes to Tampa to claim the crown he sought for five years, the only unanimous idea is that Romney has many strengths and a few big holes in his game.
One indication is that, although he is locked in a tight race with President Obama, the incumbent is still favored in most quarters. A poll that had them tied also showed that 58 percent of respondents believed Obama would win.
It’s a familiar predicament for Romney, and points to the work he must do before Nov. 6. A likability deficit, a lack of enthusiasm, the soft support — they’ve haunted his campaign from the start.
He was counted out each time a new primary rival gained steam. It would be fair to say he vanquished them, but more accurate to say he outlasted them. He was better funded, and as they took turns rising and falling, he was the last man standing. But Obama is no Newt Gingrich or Rick Perry.
Romney’s bold choice of running mate, Paul Ryan, has helped stabilize a listing ship. Ryan’s fiscally conservative record energized the base, and his boyish, articulate presence has made the ticket more youthful and more substantive.
Yet that “reset” will prove ephemeral unless Romney can answer doubts about his core principles. To do that, Tampa must be much more than just error-free. The four-day infomercial must paint a fuller picture of a passionate and compassionate nominee. It must maximize his advantage in handling the economy, while avoiding anything that reinforces his negatives, including his wealth and history of flip-flopping.
The popular personalities who will testify on his behalf start with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who can be counted on to hammer how Obama failed as a leader. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio will rouse the crowd with digs at Obama for being an apologist about American power, a contrast that is a double plus coming from a Latino.
Ann Romney and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will argue why women should be comfortable with the ticket. Timothy Cardinal Dolan, whose offer to speak at the Democratic convention was turned down, will offer a prayer, his presence a reminder of what he called Obama’s “war on religion.” Others will offer a salute to the troops, a rare break in a campaign where foreign policy and war are afterthoughts.
Ryan will hit the jobs issue hard and broaden the campaign canvas to include deficits, debt and entitlement reform.
But those are warm-up acts, and Romney’s turn Thursday night will be a make-or-break moment. With the largest audience he’s ever addressed, he will have an unfiltered opportunity to sell himself anew as the answer to a troubled nation.
He must offer details of his jobs and energy plans, but not too many. He will need to be strong and clear and, on occasion, funny. A display of warmth, including about his Mormon faith, is essential.
Most important, viewers in the hall and at home will give themselves a test by imagining him sitting in the Oval Office. The image in their heads must leave them confident he will measure up, that he will lead the nation to better days and their lives to better times.
It is the litmus test of whether Romney looks and sounds presidential. If he passes, he will have boosted himself to a higher level, one where victory is not only possible, but likely.
Doe boss eyes run for mayor
Hold the starting gun, we may have an intriguing new entry in the 2013 race for mayor.
George McDonald, the founder of the Doe Fund, tells me he is forming an exploratory committee, the first step in putting together a campaign. Until recently, he was a registered Democrat.
“I am very seriously considering running on the Republican line,” he says. “I have changed my registration to Republican and have met with the five county chairs.”
McDonald’s timing is good on two fronts. With the city unemployment rate stuck at 10 percent, and with leading Democrats advocating more burdens on small businesses, he brings a business-friendly view—and experience.
Also, the exploding growth of people living in homeless shelters is right up his alley. The Doe Fund, which he started in 1985, pioneered the idea that homelessness was more than just not having a home. It was a sign that most could no longer take care of themselves, usually because of drug and alcohol addiction. Naturally, its “Ready, Willing and Able” approach is the scourge of “activists” who think the city should give womb-to-tomb handouts, no questions asked.
The city has opened nine new shelters, with the population at 45,000, up 17 percent in a year.
The Doe Fund demands that its participants, many of whom have prison records, work to pay for their room and board. Just giving people “three hots and a cot” isn’t the answer, McDonald says.
The Doe Fund has graduated thousands and has a budget of more than $50 million. About one-third comes from government grants and contracts, a third from private contributions and a third from its businesses, which include pest control and cleaning.
“My view is that, instead of raising taxes, we should create more jobs so more people can pay taxes,” he says.
Pols’ taxicab wreck
Randy Mastro, a lead lawyer in the case that upended the plan to sell more taxi medallions, says city officials have only themselves to blame for the budget hole that’s spurring talk of layoffs.
Mayor Bloomberg went to Albany for approval after the City Council turned down the plan because that’s “where his campaign-contribution dollars have bought him many friends,” Mastro charges.
The lawyer also faults City Council Speaker Christine Quinn for adopting a budget that included nearly $1 billion in revenue from the medallion sale, even as the council doomed the money with its rejection of the plan.
“And where is Chris Quinn on this assault on her chamber’s authority? She’s once again hiding in silence in Bloomberg’s shadow,” Mastro says.
Case closed.
Gone bananas
The Drudge headline you can’t ignore: “Lab tech parties with escaped monkeys.” Nor the subhead on the story: “University employee found with pants down, monkeys roaming free.”
Stop there. The rest, you don’t want to know.
Well, look who’s talking
The outrage by White House officials over a Navy SEAL’s book on the Osama bin Laden raid is understandable. Spilling classified secrets is their job.